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Underground Cables Fault Detection Robot
Subject area: Science,Engineering and Technology · Area of research: Power System Analysis and Robotics
Abstract
In urban power systems, underground cables have replaced overhead lines due to safety and aesthetic advantages. However, locating faults in these underground cables presents significant challenges, primarily due to their inaccessibility and the high cost of manual inspection. This paper proposes a robotic system integrated with an ATMEGA microcontroller to detect and locate faults in underground electrical cables. The robot is designed to navigate cable ducts, identify faults such as open circuits, short circuits, and earth faults using IR sensors, and display fault locations on an LCD. A GPS module provides the precise location data, which can be monitored remotely. The system also includes a camera interfaced with PixyMon software to visually inspect the cable condition. This approach significantly reduces human risk and downtime associated with traditional inspection methods. The robot is cost-effective, user- friendly, and adaptable for future enhancements using AI and machine learning technologies, improving the reliability and maintainability of underground cable networks.
Keywords
Underground cable fault detection robot, Arduino- based fault detection system, ATMEGA328 microcontroller, IR sensor and GPS tracking, real-time fault monitoring, automated cable inspection, short circuit and earth fault detection, cable diagnostics using PixyMon software.
References
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How to cite this paper
@article{1709163,
author = {Kusuma M, Nethra S, Nikhil B, Sudarshan T A, Prof. Rajath G R},
title = {Underground Cables Fault Detection Robot},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2025},
volume = {8},
number = {12},
pages = {599-605},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1709163.pdf},
abstract = {In urban power systems, underground cables have replaced overhead lines due to safety and aesthetic advantages. However, locating faults in these underground cables presents significant challenges, primarily due to their inaccessibility and the high cost of manual inspection. This paper proposes a robotic system integrated with an ATMEGA microcontroller to detect and locate faults in underground electrical cables. The robot is designed to navigate cable ducts, identify faults such as open circuits, short circuits, and earth faults using IR sensors, and display fault locations on an LCD. A GPS module provides the precise location data, which can be monitored remotely. The system also includes a camera interfaced with PixyMon software to visually inspect the cable condition. This approach significantly reduces human risk and downtime associated with traditional inspection methods. The robot is cost-effective, user- friendly, and adaptable for future enhancements using AI and machine learning technologies, improving the reliability and maintainability of underground cable networks.},
keywords = {Underground cable fault detection robot, Arduino- based fault detection system, ATMEGA328 microcontroller, IR sensor and GPS tracking, real-time fault monitoring, automated cable inspection, short circuit and earth fault detection, cable diagnostics using PixyMon software.},
month = {June},
}